I Wore a Size 13 in 6th Grade

In third grade I wore a size 9.5 shoe. By sixth grade I was in a 13.

If you're big and tall, you already know how this story goes. If you're not, let me walk you through it, because it explains everything about why Penthouse Thrift exists.

Leaving school early to go shoe shopping

I grew so fast that shoes became a standing appointment. Not a fun one. There were times I'd leave school half a day early just to go find a pair that fit.

When we did find a pair, it cost $250 or more. And it wasn't one pair a year. My feet kept moving, so it was at least three pairs a year, every year. For a kid, that's not a wardrobe. That's a line item.

Shopping for a 45-year-old's closet at 12

Clothes weren't better.

The big and tall stores that existed were built for guys between 30 and 50. So as a kid I was shopping from racks designed for somebody's uncle. Nothing I'd actually choose. Nothing the other kids were wearing. Just whatever fit.

The usual budget move, thrifting, didn't work either. Thrift stores are great if you're a medium. For me, there was almost nothing on the racks in my size. And the few times I did find something, I'd wash it and watch it shrink right out of my size range.

So the choices were: pay full price for clothes I didn't like, or go without.

"Just accept it"

That's the advice you get when you're big and tall. Nothing fits? That's life. Nothing good fits? Be glad something fits at all.

I heard it for years. And for a while I believed it.

As an adult I stopped. I studied menswear design and learned pattern making, sketching, and sewing, because I wanted to understand why this problem existed instead of just living inside it.

The part nobody tells you: it's the fabric

Here's what I figured out.

Big and tall clothing is expensive mostly because of fabric. A bigger, longer garment takes more material to make, and that cost follows the piece all the way to the price tag. Whether it's a designer label or a basic tee, the math is the same: more fabric, higher price.

My first instinct as a designer was to make new clothes. But new clothes bring the same fabric cost with them. I'd just be building a more expensive version of the problem.

So I worked backwards.

The clothes big and tall guys need already exist. They're hanging in closets right now: designer pieces worn a few times, sneakers in 14, 15, 16 that got replaced, jackets that were bought for one season. The fabric has already been paid for. The only thing missing is a way for those pieces to get from one closet to the next.

Closet to closet

I started Penthouse Thrift in November 2022 with that one idea.

Penthouse Thrift is the first marketplace built for big and tall guys to buy and sell lightly worn, pre-loved designer clothes and sneakers that actually fit, closet to closet.

A few things I built in on purpose, because I lived without them:

• Everything is in your size range. Inventory qualifies if it's big or tall, not only both. The big guy who wears a regular inseam counts. So does the tall guy who's built lean.
• Sneakers run 12 to 18. The sizes I used to leave school early to hunt for.
• Condition matters. Sellers are asked to iron or dry-clean pieces before listing and to keep tags, receipts, and original boxes. Pre-loved shouldn't mean worn out.
• Anyone can sell. You don't have to be big and tall to list. Plenty of people are clearing out a closet for a brother, a son, or a partner, or selling accessories like bags, ties, and scarves that fit anyone.

Why this matters to me

Every listing on Penthouse Thrift is one less kid (or grown man) settling for whatever fits. One less trip to a store that doesn't carry his size. One less great piece shrinking in the wrong hands or sitting in a closet doing nothing.

I didn't build this because I read about a gap in the market. I built it because I was the gap in the market, from third grade on.

If you're a big or tall guy who has been told to just accept it: you don't have to anymore.

Shop the closets or sell your closet.